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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Playing "Baby, Scratch My Back" at a jam
Playing "Baby, Scratch My Back" at a jam
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Mirco
239 posts
Jan 05, 2015
9:33 PM
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I've recently learned Slim Harpo's "Scratch My Back" as a way of easing into singing. It's an easy enough song, because the vocals are spoken more than sung.
I have a couple concerns about trying this at a jam. Of course, every jam is different, but:
*are musicians generally competent with a "swamp" groove?
*In Slim's version, the band comes in on bar three. Should I tell the band to do this, or just start it "all in" for ease?
*Slim's version ends by fading out. Is this a practical way to end a song live, or should I work out an ending lick?
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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jpmcbride
78 posts
Jan 05, 2015
9:38 PM
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In general, simpler is better at a jam.
Always be prepared for the reality that the bass and guitar player may not know the groove you want and may fall into a standard shuffle or something like that that they know. It happens all the time.
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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KingoBad
1584 posts
Jan 06, 2015
6:38 AM
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Please, please., work on an ending. You pick it. Do it any way you like, but please end it.
Starts and stops are always something to focus on and sometimes all that we will practice at a regular band rehearsal. For a jam, be as simple as possible, and expect it to not start as you had hoped. Just be prepared to get in as soon as possible - even if you are starting with your harp. I think you are expecting a certain riff from your guitarist, so you better make sure he knows the song and you are able to explain it to him so he can understand.
I like to give a verbal cue and grab as many eyes as possible when you are on your last time through. Then end it. They will follow. It is a good skill to have - especially if you end up with a band whose members drink a little too much...
I hate it when a song falls apart at the end.,, and then somebody just shrugs on stage.
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Danny
Last Edited by KingoBad on Jan 06, 2015 6:39 AM
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Diggsblues
1619 posts
Jan 06, 2015
11:22 AM
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The biggest problem I see is always the groove.
Some guys know how to play swamp blues others
don't have a clue.
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barbequebob
2808 posts
Jan 06, 2015
12:34 PM
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To be very brutally honest, when it comes to the vast majority of open jams, too often you're going to be surrounded by musicians who, when it comes to having REAL KNOWLEDGE of blues and all of the different types of grooves, the vast MAJORITY of the jammers are going to be completely clueless and unless you're willing to learn and then immediately teach everyone the parts that you want to be played, any attempt to do do a tune like Scratch My Back is asking for trouble, and that's putting it in the most polite way possible.
For many jammers, if it isn't a rock style blues or a SRV thing, they just aren't gonna know jack s**t about it and then to make matters worse, 95% of the guitar players are gonna absolutely suck when it comes to playing rhythm.
Unless you're gonna be in one of those special invite/snob jams where the musicianship of both the host band as well as the jammers are going to be considerably higher as well as having WAAAAY more players that have an actual TRUE knowledge of the music, in no uncertain terms, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING IT!!!!!!
As far as fade outs are concerned, you had better be able to give clear signals and maintain VERY STRICT control about it or it ain't gonna happen and most jammers are gonna suck at dynamics, which is real important in order to pull off a fade out. BTW, the fade out in most tunes on any recording, with very few exceptions, are usually done by the recording engineer at the board and gradually turning the overall levels down to zero.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Mirco
240 posts
Jan 06, 2015
4:34 PM
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Thanks very much for your honest opinions, everyone. It seems that this tune would be too much trouble to do at a jam.
I'll shift my attentions to something else. I guess I can still use those licks for improvising. It's a fun song to know, if I ever had a band.
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Marc Graci
YouTube Channel
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NiteCrawler .
321 posts
Jan 06, 2015
5:10 PM
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We,ve done Scratch My Back for yrs,a great tune with plenty of room for solo,s.The opening harp intro makes for a great cue to go back into the ending,as long as the band mates or jammers for that matter pick up on it, and your good to go.
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JustFuya
680 posts
Jan 06, 2015
5:45 PM
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I haven't done a lot of jams or contests with strangers but if the band is unfamiliar with your song it's best to take their instruction and do what you can with who they are.
At a contest I once tried to tell the band leader what I expected from the bass, note for note. I did not win the prize or make any friends in that band. Most of the applause came from the contingent that coaxed me into it. It was not one of my musical highlights but I learned that contributing is secondary to listening.
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Frank101
47 posts
Jan 06, 2015
6:04 PM
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"Scratch my back", great song, fun song to play in a band that knows what it's doing, bad song to call when playing with total strangers.
See Also: Jimmy Reed, a/k/a "It sounds so easy when HE does it ..."
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